Critical issues for pre-school education: towards a research agenda
Economic and Social Research Council Seminar Series
This series of seminars, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, aimed to develop a research agenda that will address the issues about the development of pre-school education that currently challenge policy makers, educational providers/managers and researchers. Each seminar provided a forum to look again at what we need to know to make a difference to the pre-school experience of 3 to 5-year-olds.
An important characteristic of the seminars was the wide mix of perspectives represented from across the four UK education systems. Participants included researchers with expertise in education, psychology and social policy as well as those who shape policy and develop curriculum and practice guidance from across the UK. The seminar series offered opportunities for debate between participants from the voluntary, private and public sectors, all of whom have important interests in learning in the early years and developed understandings of the needs of children, their families and the processes of pre-school education.
Seminar themes
Seminar 1
focused on the rationale for a distinctive phase of pre-school education.Seminar 2
focused on meeting the diverse ethnic and cultural needs and expectations of young children and their parents.Seminar 3
explored issues relating to diversity and tailoring learning opportunities to meet varying needs.Seminar 4
debated pedagogical strategies, focusing on questions raised in research by educationalists and developmental and social psychologists.